#18 Whitesnake - Whitesnake: Is My Hair Big Enough

ROCKTOBERFEST: A Most Excellent Countdown of the 31 Most Bitchin Glam Metal Albums

#18 Whitesnake – Whitesnake (Released 1987) 8x Platinum #2 Billboard Albums

David Coverdale (A Mic Stand is a LETHAL weapon in my hands) – Vocals 

John Sykes (David, Fired Me?!?!) – All Guitars

Neil Murray (I was replaced by the guy who eats his bass) - Bass

Aynsley Dunbar (They fired John?!?! O fuck I was fired too) - Drums

 Is My Hair Big Enough?: Second Wave of Glam Metal

Whitesnake is NOT a glam metal band and this album is not really a true glam metal album. However this is my fuckin list so tough noogies. Whitesnake’s 1987 album was a massive commercial success and came at the height of the Second Wave of Glam Metal. Whitesnake’s album is a more of an arena power-blues record, but with enough of that hot, en-vogue  metallic sound to help it cross-over with the mainstream. Boy, did it cross-over with a #2 hit in the form of the power ballad, Is This Love, a huge hard rock hit, Still of The Night (#18 on the rock charts), and a song that transcends generations the #1 hit, Here I Go Again.  Since, it is often lumped into the glam metal genre much like Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet (which did not make the cut because Bon Jovi is for candy-asses), I decided to include it because I wanted to recognize the awesomeness that is David Coverdale and John Sykes. However, first a brief detour into the two different waves of glam metal. 

People conjure images of hair metal (the hair did not play that bitchin solo you just heard), they are drawing from the imagery of Second Wave of Glam Metal (1986-1992). The make-up was almost all but gone, the shock rock costumes were replaced by tight denim ‘n’ leather outfits. All that remained was the GARGANTUAN hair. Coverdale has even joked that the only reason he managed to sell records during this time period was his ENORMOUS hair. There is a reason for this of course and that is the Second Wave of Glam Metal was commercially way more successful than First Wave of Glam Metal. The Second Wave was more conducive to mainstream-acceptability with very flashy guitar pyrotechnics, big soaring sing-along choruses, harmonized gang-vocals rather than harsh gang-shouts. Basically, the Second Wave took the big Arena Rock sound of Journey, Foreigner and REO Speedwagon made it a bit tougher  and a bit more guitar-oriented. The First Wave Of Glam Metal (1981-1985-ish) in all regards really should not have been popular and it really wasnt. One part heavy metal, one part glam rock and a whole lot of shock rock happened to strike when traditional heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Scorpions and Van Halen were massive successes. The albums from this period averaged about 1x-Platinum, the Second Wave albums were going 4-5x-Plantium and that is if you were fuckin Warrant. Once again another reason why it pisses me off when people say all glam sounds the same. Seriously fuckin listen to a First Wave and a Second Wave album. It is night and fuckin day, you ignorant fuckhead.  Of course during the Second Wave there was the Sleaze counter-revolution from the underground, but we already covered that. The leaders of sleaze metal incidentally enough had the biggest album of the Second Wave era: Guns N Roses. But we will get to them later, now it is time for the dulcet, powerful tones of Coverdale and Skyes.  

Let us begin with the ever-popular, David Coverdale vs Robert Plant debate. Coverdale gets a lot of shit as far being called David Coverversion by Robert Plant himself and his fans. This is a debate that has nearly torn my household in half. My dad, a true die-hard Led Zep fan, has finally made Led Zep my favorite band. (Just if anyone was curious, Scorpions, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses and Motley Crue have all held the top spot on my favorites list until Led Zep has reigned supreme over the past four years). He swears by Led Zep and specifically his favorite member of the band, Robert Plant. I don’t think my dad has ever missed a Robert Plant concert in Boston. (He always takes Glen instead of me. What gives, Dad?) He even went to the one with Alison Krauss where he took my mother and he loved it. I had the personal pleasure of seeing Robert Plant live and in vivid color thanks to the generosity of one, Lorin Shirwani. He sound fuckin amazing and it is truly something EVERY single hard rock fan has to do in their life. However, as my brother will point out every chance he gets, Coverdale is the better vocalist with more range and more power on the high notes without entering into a whine. My dad will retort with the fact that Plant is the better lyricist, which is hands-down true and a point my brother does not even bother arguing. After listening to following live video, I am going to side with my brother and say that Coverdale is indeed the better vocalist. However the better frontman is still out for grabs and Coverdale’s mic-stand-wielding skills (it is like a fuckin kendo stick in his hands) takes on the mystical aura of Plant, it is a tough battle that I am not ready to weigh in on.

      

 Still of The Night, which if you have not listened to well then you simply are not cool, is the greatest song that Led Zep never wrote. Top to bottom, it is one of my favorite songs ever. On this album, this is one of Coverdale’s best vocal performances and will make you fan. Complementing Coverdale’s amazing powerful, soulful delivery is Skyes’ irresistible guitar riff that makes me instantly convulse into hip thrusting. This song does what few songs can do rock fuckin hard, be a party/stripper anthem and still taken seriously as one really fuckin good song. The music video features Tawny Kitaen oozing sex from every pore and makes me really want a time machine back to 1987.  The band was actually fired after production and Coverdale actually brought in a whole new cast of characters including Rudy “I Love The TASTE of My Bass” Szaro from Quiet Riot. 

Thus this leads to the next big feud that is associated with Whitesnake: John Sykes vs David Coverdale.  Reportedly, Sykes still has no idea why he was fired from Whitesnake and that was a total shock that the whole band was replaced right before the tour. I have heard rumors that Coverdale wanted a more blues-y guitar player and Sykes had a very metallic background having played in New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Tygers of Pan Tang. This all being said Sykes is one of favorite guitarists and a guitar hero lost to the winds of time. His tone on Whitesnake gives it that metallic sheen to help it cross-over with the mainstream and his solos absolutely burn with passion. His riffs are very inventive and have a real galloping rhythm to them which stems from his time in a NWOBHM. A good example of this time of galloping, heart-pumping riffing is Bad Boys

Still of The Night is my personal favorite song but Crying In The Rain kicks all sort of fuckin ass. Coverdale wails with vim and vigor while the lead fills by Sykes complement the anguish of the song. I will admit that Coverdale occasionally enters Don Dokken territory about bitching and moaning about women, but damnit when you sound this good doing it just go ahead I will excuse you. The highlight of the song is the BATSHIT INSANE~! Solo. This solo belongs in the Pantheon of Solos (Page on Dazed and Confused, Eddie’s Eruption, Blackmore on Child In time, Iommi on Supernaut). That is how amazing this solo is. 

We end with the iconic song, Here I Go Again, which is actually a re-make from an earlier Whitesnake album when they were hard-blues-rock band. Tawny Kitaen doing cartwheels on the hood of Whitesnake’s car is one of the most memorable 1980’s video moments. The song is a great cross-over hit that displays Coverdale at his lyrical best (which is probably his weakest facet). The supped-up, metallic riff drives the song as Coverdale brings his A-game on the chorus. Ok, enough talking about the song, I know everyone just wants to watch the video/:

Whitesnake is a great band, but the album does suffer from lyrical clichés and lack of diversity in lyrics. Also, some of the songs are a bit bland, I am looking at you, Don’t Turn Away. Coverdale is one of my favorite vocalists of all time. If you are a Led Zep fan, go get Coverdale/Page from 1993, it is the greatest album that Led Zep didn’t write. If you find yourself loving Sykes as much as I do, then I definitely suggest check out Tygers of Pan Tang and check out his solo band, Blue Murder, where he actually sings. He is no Coverdale, but he is pretty good and the solos are friggin killer.